Negotiations Between Healthcare Giants Fail In Western North Carolina

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,

Published October 9, 2017 at 12:35 PM EDT

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina headquarters in Durham.

Negotiations between the largest healthcare provider in Western North Carolina and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina have failed after a months-long standoff.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Blue Ridge Public Radio News Director Matt Bush about the negotiations between Mission Health system and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Doctors, clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities that make up the Mission Health system are now outside the BCBSNC network. That means a steep rise in healthcare costs for many residents.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Blue Ridge Public Radio News Director Matt Bush about what the end of this contract means for patients in the state.

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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